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Hamish McLachlan: AFL’s Class of 2017 talk about the greatest game

WHEN the Bulldogs broke their premiership drought last year, Bob Murphy didn’t play. A year on, the retired captain reveals how he healed the heartbreak of missing a Grand Final win.

Matt Priddis, Jobe Watson, Steve Johnson, Josh Gibson, Robert Murphy, Nick Riewoldt, Scott Thompson and Sam Mitchell. Picture: Tony Gough
Matt Priddis, Jobe Watson, Steve Johnson, Josh Gibson, Robert Murphy, Nick Riewoldt, Scott Thompson and Sam Mitchell. Picture: Tony Gough

THE AFL’s Class of 2017 is perhaps the greatest the game has ever seen. I sat down with Bob Murphy, Stevie Johnson, Sam Mitchell, Matthew Priddis, Scott Thompson, Nick Riewoldt, Jobe Watson and Josh Gibson at an MLC Life Insurance breakfast. All eight humbly reflected on their careers, those that supported them and the bumps along the way, and the fear around what’s ahead.

HM: Bob, how did you sleep before your first game?

Robert Murphy: Very poorly I reckon. It was a long time ago, but I know it was restless.

HM: Did anyone sleep well?

All: No…..

Stevie Johnson: I remember I roomed with Mitchell White, who was a veteran at that stage. He said to me “Just don’t think about footy at all”. I know it’s easier said than done, but I actually had a decent sleep the night before. It didn’t help the next day; we lost by about 15 goals!

AFL’s class of 2017 talk about their love of the game

HM: Sam, what is it you are most proud of from your careers?

Sam Mitchell: For me, if you look at Hawthorn and where the club was at when I started, compared to where it was when I finished, to have been a part of that is my proudest moment. There were lots of ups and downs throughout that time.

HM: Do you think if you weren’t overlooked in the draft, you would have had the career you had?

SM: No, I don’t think so. I think getting kicked up the arse at the right time is pretty important. When you look at the group of players here, we’ve all had it at different stages and for me, being a cocky young kid, getting that kick up the arse at the right time put me on the right track early on.

HM: Matt, you were overlooked in three consecutive drafts. What were the recruiters missing?

Matthew Priddis: I never spoke to any recruiters, even going into that draft where I got picked up on the rookie list. A bit similar to Mitch, it makes you appreciate the opportunity you get when you do get it. I was just lucky that it was in my home state. I had family and friends around, and it helps you make that adjustment. Getting on a list was a big moment.

A fan of Matt Priddis shows her support at Adelaide Oval. Picture: Getty Images
A fan of Matt Priddis shows her support at Adelaide Oval. Picture: Getty Images

Scott Thompson: Almost a Crow at one point, Pridda?

MP: I think it was your first year back at the club. They did a rookie camp, and I had an opportunity there when they had three or four spots available. It wasn’t to be then, but it just added to the hunger, and you just hope you’ll get there one day.

HM: Rooey, a number one draft pick. Does that make your life easier, or harder?

Nick Riewoldt: In the initial phase I think it makes it a little bit harder. We see it now with guys, I mean, Jack Watts still carries it around with him. A young guy at our club Paddy McCartin does as well. Just the difference in pressure of being a number one pick as opposed to a number 2 pick is significant. I was really fortunate that at the start that of my career I could go through that with Kozzy (Justin Koschitzke). I had moment in my first year. I missed most of it with injury whereas Kozzy was flying, and he won the rising star. I definitely felt it. I think once you establish yourself somewhat then that tag drops off pretty quickly.

HM: Your ego wants you to go one, but would it have been easier to go two?

NR: It would, but I wanted to go one!

Nick Riewoldt of the Saints handballs while being tackled by Cale Hooker of the Bombers. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
Nick Riewoldt of the Saints handballs while being tackled by Cale Hooker of the Bombers. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

HM: What about you, Jobe. How heavy was the Watson name to carry around when you walked into Essendon?

Jobe Watson: I never really felt it at home or in my life that I’d been living. I was at a private school in a sheltered sort of upbringing. My dad never put any pressure on it. I think when I first arrived there was obviously the association with the club and what Dad had done.

Like Sam and Matt touched on, you don’t actually realise where you’re at until you get into the AFL system. I was a long way behind, so it took me a few years to try and catch up. I was fortunate that I got extra time, because the name gave me an extra year or two. Now, you could probably get cut after a year or two, and you’re out of the game straight away. It was a bit of a hindrance early, but it probably bought me another year.

HM: Do you think you would have been cut without the Watson surname?

JW: I think I probably got a little bit of extra time. Whether it was because of that, or whether I was just a bit naive as to what the requirements were I’m not so sure, but I was starting from a long way back.

Essendon's Jobe Watson after kicking a third quarter goal against Adelaide. Picture: Michael Klein
Essendon's Jobe Watson after kicking a third quarter goal against Adelaide. Picture: Michael Klein

HM: Stevie, ‘07, the club suspension. How close were you to disappearing out of the game, without a premiership, a Norm Smith, and your All-Australian jumpers?

Stevie Johnson: Pretty close. I think it was a 50/50 call at that stage. The leadership group met with Neil Balme and our leadership consultant at the time. There were some players that were pretty angry with me in the leadership group, because I’d stuffed up on a couple of occasions. They decided that because they’d invested in me for so long, and because I did have some pretty good relationships in there too, that they’d rather stick by me, and hopefully get the best out of me. Footy was what I love the most, and by taking that away from me, the club thought that would be the kick up the backside that I needed. It was the right call, and I knuckled down from that point on. I got myself extremely fit, and I never really looked back.

Scott Thompson of the Crows waves to the crowd during his lap of honour. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images
Scott Thompson of the Crows waves to the crowd during his lap of honour. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

HM: Scotty, 269 games for the Crows. You played this year. They’re playing in a grand final this weekend, but you won’t be playing ... timing, seemingly, is everything.

Scott Thompson: Yeah, it certainly is. I’ve been in three losing prelims along the way, so it’s going to be bittersweet. I’m extremely proud of the group, but it will be hard to watch from the stands. Obviously I hope the boys win, and it would be fantastic for the guys involved and the club as a whole, but it’s going to be hard to watch.

HM: What do you think you’ll feel at the bounce?

ST: Certainly there will be mixed emotions, probably a tear or two. I’ve played a heap of footy with a large number of guys out there, and there’s some guys I haven’t played as much with over recent years. I’ve only played one senior game this year, so I knew my chances of playing this weekend were slim to none. I look around at this group I’m sitting with now, and there’s premierships, and I do get a little bit jealous. My last premiership was back in year 12.

HM: A lot of footy for not a lot of success.

ST: Yeah. That’s why you play the game, for team success, and I haven’t had a lot of it, so if you were being harsh, you would say it is an unfulfilled career. I’ll certainly celebrate with the boys if they get over the line come Saturday night, but it’s going to be really difficult to sit in the stands and watch, knowing that I’ve tried and been around for so long, yet I haven’t been involved in it.

Scott Thompson of the Crows and Steve Johnson of the Giants compete for the ball during a practice match at AAMI Stadium. Picture: Getty Images
Scott Thompson of the Crows and Steve Johnson of the Giants compete for the ball during a practice match at AAMI Stadium. Picture: Getty Images
The Crows’ Scott Thompson after announcing his retirement. Picture Sarah Reed
The Crows’ Scott Thompson after announcing his retirement. Picture Sarah Reed

HM: When I say July 3, 2015 ...

ST: Phil Walsh. God, extremely sad. I was in bed in the early hours of the morning and I got a phone call from our media manager at the time, Ian Shuttleworth. The first time I let it ring out. I thought “Bugger off mate, calling me at this time in the morning”. Then he rang straight back, so I spoke to him and I was in disbelief ... to think what had actually happened.

To go through the process with the club and how it was handled, the club was an unbelievable support. The support shown by everyone. Words can’t explain it. It certainly galvanised the group, in a really unfortunate situation.

HM: The game against the Cats that weekend was cancelled, and then you played the West Coast Eagles. Have you ever been involved in a sporting contest that’s been more emotional than that?

ST: No, never. And I never will. Matt was playing that night, and the support shown by the wider footballing community with the linking of arms after each game was amazing. I forget who it was that started the trend.

Sam Mitchell of the Eagles celebrates a goal with Lewis Jetta and Sharrod Wellingham. Picture: Adam Trafford/AFL Media/Getty Images
Sam Mitchell of the Eagles celebrates a goal with Lewis Jetta and Sharrod Wellingham. Picture: Adam Trafford/AFL Media/Getty Images

HM: It was on the Friday night, between Hawthorn and Collingwood.

Sam Mitchell: I played in that game, and it was eerie — like nothing I’ve played in before. I didn’t know Phil personally, but we knew people that had worked with him at the club. We were so emotional about it all, and he wasn’t involved at our club, but when we won the game, it was one of the hollower games that you’d ever win. There was no feeling in me that I wanted to celebrate the win. It was a really strange feeling, and then it just put it into perspective. It was one of the very few times that you feel like a football community, and in that family of football. That was one of the times were you thought there was something a bit bigger, that it’s just about the winning and losing, and that we fight for every week.

Scott Thompson: That’s right, and I guess that in a way has got us to a point now with the way the groups galvanised. That one particular game where we played against West Coast the following week was one game where I was in the game, but running around thinking to myself, what am I doing? I found myself just gazing into the crowd at times, and I certainly wasn’t focused on the game. It was extremely sad. Phil still gets spoken about around the club up until this day. He has had a huge impact.

HM: Rooey, you had a similar scenario happen to you where the football community rallied, and still does, with the passing of Maddie.

NR: Yeah, and I think that’s what the football community does so well. The Adelaide one has probably got a little bit lost this week with all the romance around Richmond, because it’s been so long between drinks. If Adelaide happen to get up, as far as a story in world sport goes, I don’t think anything would rival it.

Losing a coach in those circumstances, only to have the team galvanising around a tragedy and being able to achieve something potentially really special, I think it would be hard to top. As someone that’s had arms wrapped around them by so many people, it’s a really great family to be a part of, the footy one. We’ve been so fortunate to be able to leverage that relationship, and get something really good out of it. That’s one of the legacies of my career, that I and my family are really proud of.

Sam Mitchell of the Eagles walks off the field after his final match. Picture: AFL Media/Getty Images
Sam Mitchell of the Eagles walks off the field after his final match. Picture: AFL Media/Getty Images
Bob Murphy and Easton Wood with Luke Beveridge after the Bulldogs won the Grand Final. Picture: Wayne Ludbey
Bob Murphy and Easton Wood with Luke Beveridge after the Bulldogs won the Grand Final. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

HM: You should be. Bob, the Dogs break a 62-year premiership drought last year, and you’re captain of the club but don’t play. It’s almost the cruellest of scripts.

BM: That’s why there’s gin in my coffee cup, Hame. Mitch and Stevie have got their champagne, while Scotty and I have the gin in our coffee. Like Scotty described it, it’s mixed emotions, but that somehow doesn’t do it justice.

In one moment you are completely enthralled and ecstatic about where your club’s at, and where your best mates are at, but then there’s moments that you keep to yourself, or share at home with your wife, where you’re just completely heartbroken.

That’s just the situation that it was. People call footy clubs their families, and that’s a very real thing. You’re full of pride. It was a glorious day, and as each day goes from that, the good moments shine through, and my heartache begins to slow down.

HM: What was the most inappropriate thing someone said to you in the lead up to grand final week?

RM: Well the VFL played a week before, and we’d just beaten GWS in the prelim. We were standing watching our VFL boys, and there was about 50 people not watching the game, who were just watching the group of AFL boys. This one Collingwood supporter, and it’s always a Collingwood supporter, walks over to me and just stands next to me for a minute. I knew he wanted to say something. He eventually said “Gee, you’d be regretting not getting the LARS surgery wouldn’t ya?” I try to give people as much time as I can, but I said “Oh, I can’t talk about it mate”. I think he genuinely had that feeling of I’ve screwed that up. I’ve said the wrong thing.

Bob Murphy high fives his parents Monica and John after a game. Picture: Wayne Ludbey
Bob Murphy high fives his parents Monica and John after a game. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

HM: Nick, how often do you think of the ‘09 and ‘10 grand finals?

NR: Yeah, it creeps in quite often.

HM: Monthly, weekly, daily?

NR: Weekly. At least once a week. This time of the year is particularly difficult. To get back to your point before, it’s become less and less. My perspective has changed on life. I remember saying after we lost the 2009 grand final in an interview that it felt like someone had died. That went out to all the media and, in retrospect now with what we went through as a family, I just feel like a real idiot for saying that.

There must have been a lot of people out there that heard me say that that thought it was incredibly insensitive. That’s because I didn’t have that perspective to be able to draw on. It’s something that will always be a hole in my footballing life. There will always be something missing, which is really hard to reconcile.

The only way that I’m able to do that, and I’m sure the other guys that have fallen short are the same, is to remember that everything that you could possibly do to achieve it was done. I know in those groups of 2009 and 10, we went as close as anyone in the history of the game to winning one, without winning one.

A goal in ‘09, and then a draw in ‘10. It’d be nice if your brother had actually got into the AFL a bit sooner and brought in the goal review system, and then brought in extra time so the draw was played out that week. I’m OK with it. We did everything we possibly could, but all that got us was close, twice.

Geelong legend Steve Johnson playing for the GWS Giants against Geelong Cats.
Geelong legend Steve Johnson playing for the GWS Giants against Geelong Cats.

SJ: But what is it that you think you want? Obviously you want the premiership, but what is it that you think premiership players have which you don’t?

NR: I want the memories of having experienced that and celebrated with the fans, and celebrated with my family. As far as the relationships with my teammates, I’ve still got them. Clearly we don’t have the physical medal and the adulation that accompanies it, but to see the way the Bulldogs fans celebrated their success last year with the players, I wanted to be able to immerse myself in that, and share it with the fans and my family. They ride it as much as anyone, so for them to be able to share in that success as well I think would be really nice.

RM: It’s the added connection between teammates though, I reckon. You’ve got guys who haven’t played in premierships, and you’ve got this great mateship that will last forever. You’ll catch up, you’ll have a beer and there’s all this warmth there, but on grand final day the siren goes, and you see your teammates run at each other and look at each other, and there’s just something in that connection that’s something else. You feel like they’re friendships you deserved. It’s not that you deserve the medal or you want the medal, they become arbitrary. It’s the friendships that have something else, and I think that’s it on the whole.

NR: Yeah. For me it’s the shared experience. I don’t think I’d feel any different about Lenny Hayes if we had have won one. I think it was a shared experience of doing the work, and getting as close as we did that means our relationships are really strong. I’m not too sure whether those bonds would be tighter. You have opportunities to catch up often with reunions. You see the Geelong boys in the box this year for the ‘07 reunion. That’s the sort of stuff really that I think you look at and are really envious of.

Josh Gibson of the Hawks flies during a match against the St Kilda Saints. Picture: AAP Image/Rob Blakers
Josh Gibson of the Hawks flies during a match against the St Kilda Saints. Picture: AAP Image/Rob Blakers

JW: It’s a recognition of effort, for me. That’s what I feel. You put in so much time, effort and energy as a group, and to have that recognised as a group, that you’ve achieved the absolute ultimate of it because of the work that you’ve put in to achieve it, that’s the thing that I think I will miss about not being a part of a premiership team.

HM: Is there a difference between a 250 game player and a 250 game premiership player?

JW: Yeah, there is for me. That’s why you play. You are envious of it, and there’s that envy of being able to achieve that. That’s how I feel. There’s lots of 250 game players, and great 250 game players, but there’s guys who won premierships and there’s guys that didn’t. There is that level of envy of the ones that did.

HM: You spent last year making coffees, and you thought about your career. Why did you play this year? What was the one factor that got you back to the club, and training?

JW: I think the one reason I came back was to get some enjoyment playing with my teammates again. I wanted to come back and enjoy playing footy again with the guys that I’d been through that period with. That was really a driving force for me. In the end, the most enjoyable part was being able to share playing with my niece. That was the thing that I enjoyed most, that she was able to experience my life in footy. The enjoyment I saw in her was the thing I am most thankful for about coming back and playing.

HM: Have you had your heart broken by footy?

JW: I don’t know if I’ve had it broken. I think I articulated how I felt about it when I did my press conference. That was pretty much it. It just doesn’t feel the same for me as it once did. Like a lot of these guys, I grew up around footy and loved it. It was my world growing up, and it was a dream to play. As the time went on, and given what we went through, it does feel different for me. I still have love for it, but it’s probably not what a child who was running around the park would feel about it.

Josh Gibson with fans during an AFL match against the Sydney Swans at the SCG. Picture. Phil Hillyard
Josh Gibson with fans during an AFL match against the Sydney Swans at the SCG. Picture. Phil Hillyard

HM: No captain’s been through what you went through. What did you learn about yourself?

JW: I think I learnt about what pressure does to people, and how you can really test yourself under pressure. You’re not sure about what you’re capable of, until you’re under real pressure. That’s what I found out about myself, is that I was able to try and help others under real stress. That resilience you get out of it is something that I’ll be able to take with me for the rest of my life. I guess that’s the silver lining in it. I can take those experiences that I had, and live a better life because of it.

HM: Did you learn more about yourself or others?

JW: I think I learnt more about myself. What I reflect on more is that what I learned rather than how others behaved, or what they did. I can’t control what other people did, but I could ways control what I did. In the end, that’s who you look at in the mirror. You look at yourself. That’s how you can sleep at night.

HM: For what it’s worth, you were remarkable during it all.

JW: Thank you.

HM: Stevie, Ross Lyon said “Coaching sends grown men to places they should never have to go to”. What on earth are you doing becoming an assistant coach at Sydney?

SJ: Yeah, they all seem to turn a bit strange after a period of time! I’ve been very fortunate to have played the game I love for 16 years, and I couldn’t think of anything better than staying involved in the game and being able to watch footy week to week, and work in it. I’m looking forward to the opportunity working at the Sydney Swans from next season. They’ve been a fantastic club for a long period of time, and it’s a challenge that I’m willing to take on. I’ve just loved my time up there in Sydney, and to work alongside a great coach in John Longmire is something that will prepare me well for my future.

Stevie Johnson tackles Brodie Smith. Picture Sarah Reed
Stevie Johnson tackles Brodie Smith. Picture Sarah Reed

HM: What’s going to be one non-negotiable coaching aspect that you’re going to bring to the club. Are you going to have punting syndicates? Tops after training? J-curves are compulsory inside 50?

Stevie Johnson: Yeah, I’ll still be taking the boys to the pocket and teaching them how to kick the J-curve! Hopefully Buddy’s got a bit of money that I can take off him.

NR: If there’s a player there that plays like you, how would you coach him?

SJ: I’ve always thought the coaches that have coached me have done so extremely well. They let me play on instincts. There’s no doubt I frustrated coaches at times, but I think for the majority of the time they felt that I had the best interests of the team at heart when I was making decisions.

Although I did go for the odd kick that was extremely dangerous, I was always trying to sum up and do the equations on risk and reward with each decision I made. I think you’ve got to let players play to their natural ability, and when there’s a time to pull them up and run them through a bit of vision to tell them they need to put a bit of defensive pressure on, you need to do that. That’s probably why I’m moving to another club. I can’t be coaching players that I just played with, because they’ll be questioning me when I say “Look, you need to make a better effort there and put a chase on!”

Former Geelong Cats and GWS Giants veteran Steve Johnson. Pictured: AAP Image/Julian Smith
Former Geelong Cats and GWS Giants veteran Steve Johnson. Pictured: AAP Image/Julian Smith

HM: How are you going to go coding?

SJ: Yeah, that’s probably the one thing I’m not looking forward to. What do you think Sammy? Sammy’s been doing it all this year, and playing.

HM: Do you code and play Sammy?

SM: Small amounts; I don’t do endless hours of coding. I don’t spend 6 hours coaching a game like many of the coaches do. I did a little bit of coding, to find the core themes and just stick to those.

SJ: When you’re a footy head, and I’m sure not all these guys are the same, but I can sit down and watch every game of footy on the weekend. There was a time last year when we were playing in Canberra, and the Western Bulldogs and Geelong were playing in one of the last games of the season. They were both top 4 contenders, and I walked into the massage room were all the massage beds were set up, and the boys were on the play station playing Fifa.

The game was just starting, and I said to the masseur “Do you mind if we move the table into the other room, because the game’s about to start”. All these kids were saying “Oh, you footy head”. I said “Boys, there’s a fair chance we’re going to be playing one of these two sides in a final in the coming weeks, so you better get in here”. Fortunately, a few of them rolled through. I feel pretty fortunate that I’ll be able to stay involved in the near future.

Sam Mitchell addresses the media before a West Coast Eagles AFL training session at Domain Stadium. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images
Sam Mitchell addresses the media before a West Coast Eagles AFL training session at Domain Stadium. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

HM: Mitch, who is the most emotional player you’ve ever played with?

Sam Mitchell: Definitely Gibbo. He’s the most emotional player that I’ve played with. He’s actually the most emotional person I know. He’s also the most competitive person I know. Every time there was the chance for emotion, that was him. Playing footy with him, when I was winning games, it wasn’t just the tears which is what we’re talking about right now, but the joy and the emotion of all of that was probably what summed him up as a player.

HM: Have you always been a crier, Gibbo?

Josh Gibson: Yeah, I have unfortunately. I’m a Pisces, so I think I’m a bit soft! I do show my emotions a fair bit.

HM: 65 games over 4 years for the Kangas. Rookie drafted. Did you always think you had the ability to become a premiership player and a best and fairest?

JG: I didn’t to be honest. I remember when I got traded to Hawthorn I was that excited. I got a three-year deal. To look back now on the years at Hawthorn and see what we achieved as a group, as well as individually, is beyond my wildest dreams. It’s been a really good journey, and I was so lucky that I made that move. It really paid off.

Josh Gibson does a lap of honour. Picture: Mark Stewart
Josh Gibson does a lap of honour. Picture: Mark Stewart

HM: You spoke earlier in the year about anxiety. You suffered from it all throughout your career?

JG: I think I’m borderline OCD.

SM: Borderline you reckon? Run them through your Gatorade ritual. Are you sponsored?

JG: I probably should have been, considering I always drank 16 Gatorades the night before a game!

HM: 16!

JG: 16.

RM: Never 15?

JG: No, and I was always very precise in the colours I had. I used to go and buy four orange, four blue, then another four orange.

JW: Any kidney problems?

JG: No, and I never had a good night sleep before a game because I was on the toilet the whole night! It started at North Melbourne. We were interstate and our fitness coach Andrew Russell saw me keep going to the fridge and grabbing Gatorades. He said “What’re you doing mate?” and I just said “I have to drink 16 of them before a game”.

ST: Was there a time frame between the first one and the sixteenth?

JG: On a Saturday game they’d probably start on the Friday afternoon at about 3, and then I’d have three on the game day. I’d polish 13 off the night before.

SJ: Can you over hydrate?

JG: The bladder was shocking, and I’d be three kilograms heavier. It wasn’t the smartest move, but I stuck with it.

SJ: Dal Santo used to drink a few.

NR: Yeah, he had six. It’s not quite 16.

Matt Pridis scores for the Eagles.
Matt Pridis scores for the Eagles.

HM: Matty, more tackles than anyone in the history of the game. If you’re lining up for the paper, do you feel like tackling the person in front of you?

MP:(laughs) That’s a lot of times I’ve been second to the footy! That’s one thing I bring to the game. We talked about connection and the ultimate team game, but we all bring different things to the side, and for me that was one of my strengths. I wanted to get into the team, and that’s what I knew I had to keep doing. Clearances, contested ball, applying pressure. I love competing, and that’s why we play.

HM: When you went through the drafts and weren’t picked up, what helped you get through that?

MP: I think my family. They’re always there, and they ride the highs and lows. Each year that went by, they were the ones that helped pick me up. You understand that there is more to life. I suppose one thing I took out of it was that I wanted to play the highest possible level I could play at, and if that was for Subiaco in the WAFL, then I’d be satisfied with that. I was going to be the best player I could be, and I was just lucky that I got the opportunity third time round.

HM: And became the game’s best player.

MP: Yeah, that’s something that I’m very proud of, but I haven’t reflected on it at all. I’m still a little bit embarrassed. The names that have won that award are icons of the game, and I’ll just never see myself at that level. I’m very, very proud though.

HM: A year later you almost go back to back.

MP: Yeah, I kind of wanted to prove myself. Your whole career you’re trying to prove yourself. Are you good enough to be on a list? Are you good enough to keep getting a game? Achieving that in 2014 meant that I wanted to make sure I could maintain my standards, and just keep improving. I keep it pretty simple, and as a team we achieved something pretty special. We made it to a grand final, and we weren’t good enough on the day, but I’m still really proud of that.

Scott Thompson during an Adelaide Crows team training session. Picture: AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy
Scott Thompson during an Adelaide Crows team training session. Picture: AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy

HM: Matt, you spoke about not enjoying 2014, and having to look forward to prove yourself. You’ve all retired. If you were going to tell your freshly drafted 17-year-old selves something, what would it be?

ST: Enjoy the journey.

HM: Is it almost impossible to enjoy it?

ST: Well you’re so caught up in the moment, about what’s next or about what game is coming up, so you very rarely sit there and reflect. You don’t sit there and think about what you’ve done, or what you’re doing in that present moment. I think that now that we’re all hanging up the boots and moving to another journey post football life, we’ll certainly at one-point sit back and reflect on the last X amount of years, and what we’ve done individually, and as a team. During your career though, you don’t sit there and reflect; unless you’ve won flags like these boys!

SM: I’d say it’s worth it. I think when you go into a footy club for the first time, you’ve got all these choices. You go from being a boy, to becoming a man. Your friends are doing things outside of footy that you know are wrong, and some guys end up going down that path. You end up making sacrifices on lifestyle and all those sorts of things, but it’s worth it. We are saying now that maybe we didn’t enjoy it, but I think we get a fair bit of enjoyment out of the lives we were able to lead. I spent the first few years of my career not enjoying it as much, but later on in my career I realised there are times for fun.

One of my coaching philosophies would be if you’re doing a drill for 12 minutes, and then you’ve got another drill for 8 minutes after it, have a 2-minute block in the middle there were you have to mess around. Throw a ball up in the air, try and handball and hit someone in the back of the head. Have little patches of fun in there, because that does make it all worth it. Then you’ve got the concentration to really hit that next drill with the focus that you need. The thing that I’ve noticed in retirement is that I don’t regret any of the sacrifices I’ve made. If there’s every any regrets it’s usually about something you didn’t sacrifice, or about something you didn’t do.

Retiring Bomber Jobe Watson leaves the field. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Media/Getty Images
Retiring Bomber Jobe Watson leaves the field. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Media/Getty Images

Jobe Watson: To my 17-year-old self I think I’d say be thankful that you could provide enjoyment doing something that you loved, to so many other people. That I think is something I’ve really reflected on, is the amount of people who you made happy by doing something you loved. To be able to do that, and influence so many people’s lives in a positive way is something that you probably don’t realise. I think you take it for granted, because you do get caught up in all these different things, and you’re always looking forward. To actually make other people happy by doing something that they get enjoyment out of, that you get enjoyment out of as well, is a really special thing in life. It’s something that I probably didn’t reflect on enough when I was playing.

SJ: I’d probably say you’ve got an opportunity to have 10 or 15 years of the best life you could ever have. When you go to a footy club, you end up becoming great mates with so many people. You’re doing what you love, and you become bonded. If I could give one piece of advice it would be to try and earn the respect of your teammates, because I know what it’s like when you’re the larrikin. To put the hard work in and to start to become respected, and then at the end of your career have teammates you spent a lot of time with over the years send you a message saying they really respect what you’ve been able to do, that gives me more satisfaction than any premiership medal that I’ve got at my house.

St Kilda's Nick Riewoldt in action against the Tigers. Picture: Michael Klein
St Kilda's Nick Riewoldt in action against the Tigers. Picture: Michael Klein

Nick Riewoldt: I reckon that’s a mistake that a lot of guys that come in and exit the system really quickly make. They’re far too consumed in wanting to be liked in the footy environment. Between 45 guys, it can be pretty jovial at times. It’s very easy to fall into that trap. The actions you commit to from the point of view of wanting to be respected, they’re the ones that are far more conducive to having a long career, and a successful career. When you get to the end, it’s far better to be in a position where people say “I really respected you”.

Josh Gibson: I think as an older player at the club, when you see these young guys come in, the ones you’re attracted to are the ones that come in, put the head down, train hard and don’t try and be the larrikins. They’re the ones you respect straight away. A lot of guys come in and think they need to be the larrikin, but the ones that come in and work hard are the ones that you admire straight away.

Josh Gibson in action. Picture: Wayne Ludbey
Josh Gibson in action. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

HM: You’re a writer, Bob. Probably a long letter to yourself?

RM: Yeah, I reflect on a lot. I think the thing that came to me to a bit later than I would’ve hoped was going from this junior footballer, where you just chased the ball around and it’s pure joy, to becoming a professional. You get into a professional life, and all of a sudden things get heaped on top of it. The daily grind, because a lot about being a footballer isn’t glamorous. It’s hard work, and it’s unrelenting. I think the trap for some players is that they just lose focus of that pure joy they had for it. I think the reason why I was able to play until I was 35 was because in the second half of my career I just kept checking in with the 12-year-old self, and what he’d think of that week. He’d more often than not be jumping out of his skin to be a part of it. I got energy from that.

HM: We’ve all made a lot of decisions, and gone down a lot of different roads. Is there a decision you made that you look back on and wish you hadn’t?

RM: Apart from haircuts?

HM:(laughs) Leaving haircuts out of it.

SJ: I wish I never jumped off that fence.

HM: Were you trying to get back into the pub after being kicked out?

SJ: No, I never got kicked out.

HM: You broke one ankle or two doing that?

SJ: Two. A couple of mates and I wanted to go into town, so we went to get a taxi out the front of the Torquay Pub and couldn’t get a taxi. I said “Well, why don’t we just go back into the pub?” At that stage there was a lockout, and they said “Sorry boys, we’re not letting anyone back in”. I’d heard about people going around the back of the pub and jumping the fence, so I thought we’d just get straight back in. Unfortunately, I decided to jump first, and it wasn’t really a fence, it was more of a toilet block.

When I jumped, I heard a bit of a roar from the people inside, and it was taking a little bit longer to hit the ground than what I’d anticipated. When I landed, I knew I’d broken both my ankles. The heartache that injury caused me, especially on my right ankle, was just ridiculous. I ended up having seven operations on them, and was told on at least two or three occasions that I’d probably never play footy again.

That was one moment where it really dawned on me how much I loved the game, and how I needed to turn myself around to play. I reckon once I got through that injury, I became meticulous in my recovery. I think a lot of people know I enjoy having a beer and stuff, but in terms of recovery, I was doing extra recovery every single night for the rest of my career.

Bob Murphy is chaired off by Matthew Boyd and Easton Wood. Picture: Wayne Ludbey
Bob Murphy is chaired off by Matthew Boyd and Easton Wood. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

HM: So the morale of the story is to have a driver ready when you’re leaving the pub. How many beers deep were you?

SJ: Probably 30!

JG: Wow. No one still believes that I fell over in the bathroom that one time. They think it’s a lie that story! I remember we flew back from Perth, and when we got back I had a few beers. If I was a proper professional back then I wouldn’t have gone out, because we got home quite late. Even though I wasn’t drunk, with the next few days and with having to go to hospital, along with the black outs, I was told that I wouldn’t be able to play footy again. After that happened I drove myself to hospital and parked my car in the middle of Bridge Road on the tram tracks, thinking it was a parking spot. I said “Guys, you’ve got to look at my head because something’s going on”. They said “Yeah, you’ve got severe bleeding on the brain”. It all went downhill from there. I went to see somebody and they said that I might not be able to play footy again. I had to go and see someone about my motor skills, and they would ask me these math’s equations that they would give to a grade one, and I still wouldn’t be able to answer them. They’d say “Name as many words as you can, starting with A, but you can’t say a name”. The first thing I said was “Amy”. I was just so bad. It took a year to recover, but really, for the next year and a half I was still blacking out anytime I had a beer. If I was a little bit more professional when I was younger, I could have saved myself a lot of damage.

Matt Priddis after the AFL First Elimination Final match between Port Adelaide Power and the West Coast Eagles. Pictures: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images
Matt Priddis after the AFL First Elimination Final match between Port Adelaide Power and the West Coast Eagles. Pictures: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

RM: I think we’re probably a bit harsh on ourselves, because they are steps along the way. I haven’t thought about this for years, but I had the gall one day to give Juddy a bit of a spray on the field. It was a below standard, forgettable spray. Something along the lines of “You’re no good” or “You’re weak as piss”. He just turned and looked at me, and didn’t say anything, before he ran off. I remember thinking oh god, he’s shown all his class and I’ve just revealed myself as what I am. The memory of it is just cringe worthy.

HM: What are you going to miss least about the game? You can’t say pre-season.

SM: Ice water for sure. It’s the worst.

MP: Meetings for me. I think the game’s changed so much from when we all started, and recovery was almost amateurish in a way compared to where it is now. I certainly won’t miss logging into my phone in the morning and recording how I slept, how I feel, what mood I’m in and all these types of things! As it progressed over the years, I was always stayed a little bit old school.

NR: Two things for me. I won’t miss the discipline around food. I love food, so I’ve really struggled with it right throughout my career. To be able to go to Texas in the off-season and make a real pig of myself, eating ribs and margheritas is something I’m looking forward to. Then also just waking up during the week, during the season, getting out of bed, feeling sore, and worrying about that impacting how I’m going to play on the weekend.

Waking up with a runny nose, or feeling a little bit sick and freaking out. I would say to Cath “Oh, I’m getting sick. I’m getting sick”, and every time she’d just say “You say that every fortnight!” It would just turn me into a complete lunatic.

Nick Riewoldt and wife Catherine on the Brownlow red carpet. Picture: AAP Image/Luis Ascui
Nick Riewoldt and wife Catherine on the Brownlow red carpet. Picture: AAP Image/Luis Ascui

RM: Has that already changed for you? Because I had to take our kids away last week up to Noosa, and I had all three little kids on the boogie boards. I was out there for 3 hours, with a hunch back, throwing them on these waves and I thought, at any moment the back could go here, but it was that little moment of realising it doesn’t matter.

SM: I rolled my ankle stepping over a gutter a couple of days ago, and my wife goes “Oh my god, are you OK? Actually, I don’t even care!”

HM: If I say grand final, what do you immediately think of Scotty?

ST: Certainly right now, I’ve got mixed emotions about the day. Sitting in this company I’m a little bit jealous. Some have reached grand finals and experienced heartache themselves, but others have played in handfuls of grand finals, and in winning grand finals. There’s certainly an element of jealousy after 17 years not being involved in one.

Jobe Watson kicks the ball during the round 23 AFL match between the Essendon Bombers and the Fremantle Dockers at Etihad Stadium. Picture: Michael Dodge/Getty Images
Jobe Watson kicks the ball during the round 23 AFL match between the Essendon Bombers and the Fremantle Dockers at Etihad Stadium. Picture: Michael Dodge/Getty Images

HM: Jobe?

JW: Yeah, it’s a similar feeling. Not being able to have experienced it, not being out there and knowing what the whole week and day looks like, it is a feeling of envy to sit around in this company, given what they’ve been able to achieve and experience.

RM: It’s the holy trinity of emotion, drama and envy.

MP: 2015 for me. It was my childhood dream, but experiencing the whole week and what it was like, that was all great. We just played a team that was too good on the day.

HM: How do you go walking off on the wrong side of the ledger?

MP: Yeah, you’re shattered. You feel like your whole world is turned upside down, because everything you’ve worked towards just hasn’t gone your way. You learn so much. Letting go of the feeling of losing is probably one thing I took out of that. It made me relax so much more going to games post that, because you can want something too much, and as a result you tighten up and become so tense. I learned a lot.

Sam Mitchell of the Eagles runs with the ball during the AFL First Elimination Final match between Port Adelaide Power and West Coast Eagles. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images
Sam Mitchell of the Eagles runs with the ball during the AFL First Elimination Final match between Port Adelaide Power and West Coast Eagles. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

Sam Mitchell: I had joy, as well as being shattered as well. I played in four winning, and one losing. Strangely enough, I can remember so many distinct moments from the one I lost. So many tiny little things.

JG: Like the 50m penalty that cost us?

SM: Yeah, how many did your man kick again? Marty Mattner stepped me, and he’d never stepped me onto his right foot ever in his career, but he did that day and they kicked a goal. Those little memories that you just wish you could have again, but in saying that, when you get it right, that feeling that you’ve got, as Bob mentioned, it’s the shared joy that you have with your teammates. If you say who played in the preliminary final in 2013, you probably don’t really know exactly. If you asked who played in any grand final, I could tell you any teammate from any year. There’s just something about that, and I don’t know if that’s a positive thing or not. Having that shared bond with those other 21 guys, it’s a joy that’s pretty special.

HM: What concerns you most about life after footy?

SJ: Just the body. We put our bodies through so much, and a lot of us would have had countless operations. I know personally I’ve had 16, and I don’t know how I’m going to be in 6 six years’ time.

JG: For me it’s the competitiveness. I’m pretty comfortable right now. I’m retired, but I know when the boys start training again and the games start I’ll no longer have that competitiveness. That’s a big part of who I am. How I’m going to deal with that every week is the big one.

MP: Every decision you make during the week is made by thinking about how it’s going to affect your weekend. I’m still in that phase at the moment. It’s hard to remove from that, because that’s what you love about it.

Western Bulldog Robert Murphy gives Essendon's Mark Baguley the slip. Picture: Michael Klein
Western Bulldog Robert Murphy gives Essendon's Mark Baguley the slip. Picture: Michael Klein

RM: I think it’s the cause, Hame. Footy clubs, fans, you do feel like you’re a part of a cause. The competitiveness, but I think I’ll get from midweek basketball! I’m going to attack that with ferocity, but it’s the cause. I don’t think midweek basketball teams going to have a greater cause. It’s more about filling that hole.

NR: It’s scratching that competitive itch for me. I feel really content right here right now, because I don’t feel like I’ve played my last game, I just feel like I’ve played my last game for the year. I know come round one next year it’s probably the moment for all of us where it’s going to become real, because we’ve already gone through this a number of times. You finish a season, and you rest up for a few weeks, but the hard part emotionally about the finality of it all is still to come. I’m not sure how I’m going to accept that, but I think I’ll be OK. I’m excited about having a blank canvas for the first time in my life.

HM: How do you plan on keeping fit and retaining the best parts of an AFL player?

NR: I think vanity might kick in at some stage!

MP: I love surf lifesaving, so I might get into that.

HM: You’ll stay fit.

MP: Yeah.

HM: You’re going to ride a lot aren’t you Gib? Horses?

JG: Yeah I do a fair bit of that. I’ve gotten into boxing lately, so that’s been my thing. There’s no more running, but I’ve really been enjoying the boxing. It’s good cardio. I’ve been doing a bit of horse riding here and there.

HM: Can you eat healthily in the States, Jobe?

JW: Yeah you can, but you’ve got to source it out. It’s hard, but you can find the right spots. I think for me it’s vanity. I think you underestimate the feeling of endorphins after you train, and how that makes you feel for a day or a week. I think that at some point you start craving that, and you want to feel good again because you’re so used to it.

Jobe Watson kicks the ball during the round 23 AFL match against the Fremantle Dockers. Picture: Michael Dodge/Getty Images
Jobe Watson kicks the ball during the round 23 AFL match against the Fremantle Dockers. Picture: Michael Dodge/Getty Images

RM: I’ve always found the running and training side of footy was not the hard bit, it was the mental anguish. Running for me is a part of mental health.

HM: Last question for all of you, very simple, word association. Gibbo, Scott Thompson?

JG: Great rig.

HM: Sam, Stevie J?

SM: A talented eccentric.

HM: Matty. Jobe Watson?

MP: An elite inside midfielder who I’ve played a lot of footy against, and have a lot of respect for as well.

HM: Bob. Nick Riewoldt?

RM: Half man, half horse, all heart.

HM: Rooey. Bob Murphy?

NR: Statesman. A statesman of the game.

HM: Jobe. Matty Priddis?

JW: An incredible preparer, great competitor, and brilliant decision maker.

HM: Stevie. Sammy Mitchell?

SJ: Competitor who I loved to hate, but I’ve got a lot of respect for him.

HM: Scotty. Josh Gibson?

ST: Rock star, and a competitive beast.

HM: On behalf of the entire football world, extraordinary careers. Be proud of them, and thank you.

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/hamish-mclachlan-afls-class-of-2017-talk-about-the-greatest-game/news-story/f3b7df3f2a78303b9d3b1d733f9f3d6e